REVIEW: CCP has the proper prescription for happiness in "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" for one more weekend only

By Ruth Ross

Good grief, you blockheads! Tired of reading the headlines or watching pundits opine? Then you’ll want to get on over the Chatham Playhouse to see You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, an ensemble musical based on the Charles Schulz comic strip so many of us grew to love over the past 60+ years! And you only have one more weekend to see it.

Based on the beloved Charles Schulz comic strip, Charlie Brown and the entire Peanuts bunch explore life's great questions as they play baseball, struggle with homework, sing songs, swoon over their crushes, and celebrate the joy of friendship. Finally attempting to answer the question, What is happiness? (L-R: Patrick Connolly-Blood, Evan Plaza, Alora Eisen, Patrick Napurano and Elle Michaeli; in doghouse, Rachel Gesner)

On a playground set designed by John A.C. Kennedy and decorated by Carol Petersen Saso—complete with a sandbox, swings, a hopscotch game and a doghouse—six talented young actors, many appearing at the Chatham Playhouse for the first time, portray the denizens of Schulz’s comic strip. There’s hapless Charlie Brown (an adorable Evan Plaza); pining over the little red-headed girl and attempting to keep his kite aloft; his nemesis, the bossy Lucy (a crabby Elle Michaeli); dispensing advice at 5¢/a consultation and chasing the Beethoven-obsessed pianist Schroeder (a clueless Patrick Napurano; above, with Michaeli); the security blanket attached Linus (a winning Patrick Connolly-Blood); Peppermint Patty (a perky Rachel Gesner); and, of course, the faithful Snoopy (a snuggly Alora Eisen).

Under Matt Mucciogrossi’s steady direction, they sing and dance with agility, energy and joy. Lucy counts the words in her book report on Peter Rabbit (she needs 100), without making much sense. Linus (left) attempts to give up his blanket without much success. The kids play baseball, only to lose the game. Snoopy fights the Red Baron and wonders why his dinner comes in a red bowl and his water in a yellow one (or is it the other way around?), until, in the final number, the kids draw up a list of what constitutes happiness: climbing a tree, two kinds of ice cream, catching a firefly and setting it free, among others.

Hailey Haywood has dressed the kids in clothing mimicking those drawn by Schulz (right, Eisen as Snoopy); it’s as if they have leapt off the newspaper page! Eric Van Hoven’s piano accompaniment never drowns out the actors, who are not wearing microphones.

Harvard University, among other institutions of higher education, has a class on happiness, but you don’t need to matriculate and pay tuition to get the answer. Just hop on over to the Chatham Playhouse to catch You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown before it closes next weekend!

The Chatham Playhouse is located at 23 N. Passaic Avenue, Chatham. There is a parking lot behind the theater. For tickets and information, call the box office at 973.635.7363 or visit www.chathamplayers.org online.

NOTE: It was interesting that the kids in the audience appeared to enjoy the show, but the genuine appreciation was communicated by us older folks who have read the comic strip and know all the inside jokes. Their laughter said it all!